Vibrant berry smoothie bowl
Vibrant berry smoothie bowl
A beautifully light and tangy triple berry smoothie bowl packed with antioxidants and vitamins. Top with homemade gluten-free granola, desiccated coconut and slices of fresh fruit for a clean & filling detox breakfast.
PREP TIME: 5 MINS
ASSEMBLY TIME: 5 MINS
TOTAL TIME: 10 MINS
This smoothie bowl packs a whole load of goodness – it’s vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free, and low in fat and calories (with options to reduce even further). This is partly due to the fact that smoothies retain much of the fiber from the fruit’s pulp – as opposed to fruit juices, which often end up being very concentrated in sugar.
You can top it with pretty much anything that you happen to have in your cupboard – peanut butter, dried coconut, chopped nuts… not forgetting a (mandatory) spoon or two of fresh granola! For a healthier homemade version, try this super simple gluten-free pecan granola recipe.
Are smoothie bowls actually healthy?
The short answer – yes! The bulk of this smoothie bowl recipe is made up of mixed fresh berries, which are actually just shy of 90% water and so have a very low concentration of sugar and carbohydrates.
They’re also packed with antioxidants that help rid your body of the damaging free radicals resulting from eating high sugar foods and alcohol – hence their longstanding use as a detox food. This makes them a great low-calorie option for weight loss diets and general clean eating.
The only caveat is that you need to control what you top your smoothie bowl with. Loading it with too much granola will turn it into a high carb/calorie meal, so if weight loss is your goal, just be careful to only sprinkle a couple of tablespoons on top.
Ingredients
Blueberries, raspberries & strawberries – you can really mix and match the quantities depending on what you have on hand. I love the combination of all three berries, but when British strawberries are out of season, I’ll often omit them and add extra blueberries instead
Banana – balances the sharpness of the berries with a bit of natural low calorie sweetness. For an even lower carb smoothie, you can easily make it without the banana
Plain soya yoghurt – Adding a bit of yoghurt gives the smoothie base a thicker, creamier consistency, while also adding a bit of protein. If you’re not dairy intolerant, greek yoghurt packs a higher protein content
Honey – optional! You can use a little extra banana to sweeten the bowl a bit more instead, or swap the honey out for a drizzle of maple syrup
Optional extras
Peanut butter – some crunchy PB is really delicious drizzled on top, but you can actually add it to the smoothie base too. For an even creamier and nuttier base, add a tablespoon to the mix and blend together.
Supplement with more vitamins – smoothie bowls are a good way to disguise any supplements you might be taking. Try stirring in a teaspoon of spirulina or vitamin powder.
Oats – to make this even more filling, blend a couple of tablespoons of gluten-free rolled oats into the smoothie base for a slow-release energy source.
How to make a thicker smoothie
I make this recipe without any milk, as the berries add a lot if liquid when blended. However, there are a few extra ways that you can make it a bit thicker.
Use frozen berries – prepare ahead by freezing your berries in advance before blending them for a thicker smoothie consistency. I often forget to do this and happily use chilled berries instead, but it does give a thinner texture
Add yoghurt – the thicker the better! You can get hold of a lot of different dairy-free greek yoghurt alternatives now, which help give the smoothie a thicker and creamier feel. I really like the soya-based versions
Add banana – banana doesn’t just make everything taste better, but it also helps thicken up the bowl. Freeze it before adding to make the smoothie even thicker
Add glucomannan powder – I bang on about this stuff a lot for thickening up fruit sauces (like my raspberry coconut pancake topping). A small amount rapidly absorbs any liquid mixed with it, without adding any calories or changing the taste. Try sprinkling some into the mix to help set the smoothie
Additional smoothie tips
Making smoothies without a blender – high powered blenders are definitely the easiest and quickest way to create a smoother consistency. I don’t actually own a particularly powerful one myself, so I just use a hand-held stick blender to make mine. However, you could easily make do with just a fork and a whisk.
For the berries, leave them until they’re super ripe and soft, so you can squish them easily. For the banana, try breaking it into chunks and microwaving for 30-60 seconds. This makes it so much easier to mash by hand. Then thoroughly beat together with the yoghurt using a whisk until about smooth.
Storage – you can keep leftover smoothie in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 36 hours. It may have separated in this time but that’s totally normal – just give it a good stir before serving.
Vibrant berry smoothie bowl
Equipment
- electric food blender
Ingredients
Bowl ingredients
- 60 g (½ cup) raspberries, frozen
- 60 g (½ cup) blueberries, frozen
- 60 g (½ cup) strawberries, chilled
- ½ medium banana, frozen
- 3 tbsp plain soya yoghurt
- ½ tbsp honey or maple syrup
Toppings
- 3 tbsp gluten-free granola of choice
- 1 tbsp desiccated coconut
- ½ medium banana, sliced
- 5 strawberries, sliced
Instructions
- In a food processor or blender, blend the blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, banana and honey/maple syrup until smooth. Then stir in the yoghurt and pour into a large bowl.
- Scatter the fresh granola, desiccated coconut and sliced banana and strawberries over the top. Serve immediately, and store any leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container
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Or, check out more delicious gluten-free breakfast ideas:
